System for filtering organic compounds

ABSTRACT

A system for removing undesirable organic compounds so that the desirable cannabinoids, terpenes, and any other beneficial organic compounds can be easily and effectively captured is provided herein. The system makes use of diatomaceous earth filters through which a solution containing the organic compounds is rinsed with liquid non-polar solvent. The undesirable components remain in the diatomaceous while the beneficial organic compounds pass through and are collected in a liquid solution.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/368,419, filed on Mar. 28, 2019 and entitled SYSTEM ANDMETHODS FOR FILTERING ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. The complete disclosure of theabove application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to diatomaceous earth as a filtrationmedium and more specifically, the present invention relates todiatomaceous earth filters used to extract beneficial organic compoundsfrom plant materials by filtering out the non-desirable compounds suchas organic pigments, plant fats, lipids, and other plant cells that arenot considered medicinally or industrially valuable.

Diatomaceous earth has been used for many years in a number ofapplications utilizing its absorptive properties and its filtrationproperties, among other applications. Diatomaceous earth ore is anaturally occurring ore that is fairly easily crushed or crumbled into afine powder.

Diatomaceous earth consists primarily of the skeletal remains ofdiatoms, which is a type of algae, and includes primarily silica, alongwith some minor amounts of sodium, magnesium, and iron. The percentagesof the various elements may vary depending on the source or collectionpoint of the diatomaceous earth, but generally the silica (in anamorphous form) constitutes over 85% by weight of the diatomaceousearth.

Diatomaceous earth has been used for many years as a filter due to itshigh porosity and because its porosity can be adjusted by modifying theparticle size of the final diatomaceous earth product.

In conventional processes, some of the amorphous silica of the diatomfrustules is converted to crystalline silica in the form ofcristobalite.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Solvents such as a liquid non-polar solvent can be used to extractorganic compounds from plant-based materials such as various forms ofhemp or cannabis. Various types of liquid non-polar solvents that can beused with the present invention include butane, hexane, pentane,heptane, ethanol, MCT oil, cold pressed hemp oil, olive oil, benzene,toluene, diethyl ether, chloroform, 1,4 dioxane and most other non-polarliquids. Cannabinoids attach to non-polar substances. The processes andapparatus mentioned herein will work with any cannabinoids derived fromhemp or cannabis including, but not limited to: THCA, delta 9 THC, CBN,CBD, CBG, THCV CBC, CBDA, CBDV, as well as any other unnamed, butpresent, cannabinoid found in hemp or cannabis as long as it issuspended in anything liquid and non-polar.

The desirable components of such an extraction process primarilyincluded cannabinoids or terpenes that can be collected and provided toconsumers to aid with numerous medical conditions. Along with thedesirable cannabinoids and terpenes there can be a plurality ofundesirable compounds that are extracted from the plant matter. Theseundesirable compounds can include, but are not limited to pigments suchas chlorophylls, anthocyanins and carotenoids as well as plant waxes,lipids, or other plant cells that are not considered active ingredientsin hemp or cannabinoid products.

The present invention is a system and method for removing theseundesirable compounds so that the desirable cannabinoids, terpenes, andany other beneficial organic compounds can be easily and effectivelycaptured.

The equipment used in the invention includes glass Buchner funnels andflasks, and vacuum pumps for suction. But other filtration apparatusescould be used, especially at industrial scale. That is, one could puttogether similar filtration apparatuses using stainless steel and scaleit to any size. Diatomaceous earth is placed in the funnel, solution ispoured into the funnel and vacuum suction pulls the solution through thediatomaceous earth and down into the flask, removing pigments and othercompounds. Filtration is repeated until solution is pigment free.

The method of filtration as according to an embodiment of the presentinvention includes setting up and prepping filters, ideally a pluralityof filters are connected to each pump to maximize efficiency of thesystem. A maximum efficiency state is considered to exist when themaximum number of filters are attached to each pump withoutdetrimentally effecting the suction performance of each pump. Theoptimal ratio of filters to pumps will vary from embodiment toembodiment.

Before pouring solution into filters, proper dilution of the solution tobe filtered is necessary. Ideally the pre-filtration solution should beless than 0.01 g of hemp or cannabis oil per mL to minimize potentialyield loss.

Diatomaceous earth is placed into filters. It should be noted that on afirst pass less diatomaceous earth is used than in subsequent passes.

After proper dilution, turn on vacuum pumps and pack down diatomaceousearth in the filter. Evenly packed diatomaceous earth is optimal becauseit minimizes the solution's ability to find a path of least resistance.The solution is then poured into a filter containing the diatomaceousearth and pulled through via vacuum suction. When the solution is almostfully pulled through, meaning a small amount is still in filter, aliquid non-polar solvent rinse is added. The liquid non-polar solventhelps to dissolve and pull through any yield stuck in the diatomaceousearth. The rinse process is repeated until the resultant solution isclear.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeobvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects andadvantages are within the scope of the present invention. To theaccomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may beembodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attentionbeing called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrativeonly, and that changes may be made in the specific constructionillustrated and described within the scope of this application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for filtering organic compoundsusing diatomaceous earth as according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, and

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the components of a system for filteringorganic compounds using diatomaceous earth as according to an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention comprises a method andsystem of using diatomaceous earth for filtration. The purpose of thefiltration is to remove undesirable compounds (200) from a liquidnon-polar solvent solution that are not cannabinoids or terpenes. Thecannabinoids and terpenes provide medical benefits and are desirableextraction products of the cannabis plant. The method of filtrationdescribed herein starts (100) with preparing the filter (101) that willextract undesirable organic compounds from a solution (202) such aspigments as well as plant waxes, lipids, or other plant cells that arenot considered active ingredients in hemp or cannabinoid products (200).The pigments include chlorophyll, anthocyanin and carotenoid. Theseundesirable compounds have no medical benefit and are undesirablebyproducts (200) from the process of extracting cannabinoids andterpenes from cannabis using a liquid non-polar solvent. Liquidnon-polar solvents that can be used with the present invention includebutane, hexane, pentane, heptane, ethanol, MCT oil, cold pressed hempoil, olive oil, benzene, toluene, diethyl ether, chloroform, 1,4 dioxaneand other non-polar liquids.

The filter preparation step (100) comprises preparing at least onefilter by placing a filtering device, such as a paper, glass or quartzfrit, woven metal, spun or woven rock, clay or cloth filter designed totrap particles roughly the size of diatomaceous earth particles andlarger, into a filter container. The filter container can be a glassBuchner funnel or could be a larger funnel made of a different material(205). Alternatively, the filter could be a large-scale industrialapparatus such as a 1,000-ton stainless steel reactor half full ofdiatomaceous earth with a large 10,000-liter extraction pump thatdistributes the entire solution over the filtration material all at onetime. Next in the filter preparation step is to attach a vacuum pump(207) and hose lines to the funnel (205) and a receptacle that willcatch the filtered solution such as a glass flask (203). Then,diatomaceous earth (204) is added to the filter container (205). For thefirst iteration, a lesser amount of diatomaceous earth (204) isdesirable whereas subsequent iterations can use greater amounts. It ispreferable to evenly pack the diatomaceous earth (204) in the funnel(205) so that solution flowing through the diatomaceous earth (204)cannot find a path of least resistance and avoid proper filtration. Onepossible technique for packing the diatomaceous earth (204) is toactivate the vacuum pump (207) to draw down the diatomaceous earth (204)into the funnel (205).

In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of filters (205)are connected to each pump (207) so that a maximum number of filters(205) are attached to each pump without detrimentally effecting thesuction performance of each pump (207). The optimal ratio of filters(205) to pumps (207) will vary from embodiment to embodiment.

The next step in the process is to prepare the solution for filtration(102). Before filtering, it is necessary to properly dilute the solution(204). Ideally the solution (204) should be thin enough that it is lessthan 0.01 g/mL of a liquid non-polar solvent (206) to minimize potentialyield loss. Dilution is performed by adding a liquid non-polar solventto the solution.

Adding a liquid non-polar solvent also provides the benefit ofminimizing the loss of cannabinoids and terpenes. An ideal solutiondilution mixture is 0.009 g/mL of a liquid non-polar solvent (206).

It should be noted that the steps of preparing the filter (101) andpreparing the solution (102) can be done in any order or simultaneously.It is not essential to embodiments of the present invention that they beperformed in the sequential order as shown in FIG. 1.

Once the filter(s) and solution are prepared (101, 102), the vacuum pump(207) is engaged. In an embodiment of the present invention, at leastone vacuum pump (207) is attached to at least one funnel (205)containing diatomaceous earth (204). In other embodiments of the presentinvention, a plurality of vacuum pumps (207) are attached to a pluralityof funnels (205) with the ratio generally being one vacuum pump (207)for as many funnels (205) as possible without significantly degradingthe efficiency or performance of the pump (207). The invention isscalable and can be expanded to meet whatever production capacity isrequired by adjusting the size of the vacuum, or the size of thefiltration apparatus.

After the vacuum pump is engaged (103), the solution to be filtered ispoured over the top of the packed diatomaceous earth (104) and allowedto flow through to the bottom of the funnel (205). This is thefiltration step and it can be repeated with the liquid non-polar solventrinse, described below, as many times as required. The first filtrationstep (104) is performed with a lesser amount of diatomaceous earth (204)because of the high wax content of the crude solution. The greater thewax content, the greater the loss of the desirable organic compounds(201). The desirable organic compounds (201) are the cannabinoids andterpenes. The exact amount of diatomaceous (204) earth used duringfiltration varies from embodiment to embodiment based on the scale ofthe filtering system. Larger apparatus and pumps will allow for greateramounts of diatomaceous earth (204) to be used.

The resultant solution from step (104) is collected in a receptacle suchas a glass flask (105). This is the collection step that captures thefiltered solution that should contain very little to no undesirablecompounds (200). If the solution was properly prepared in step (102),then substantial amounts of desirable compounds (201) will be collectedwithout the filter becoming clogged.

To extract additional amounts of desirable compounds (201), thediatomaceous earth (204) can be rinsed with a liquid non-polar solvent(106). The term “rinse” and “wash” can be used interchangeably todescribe the process of adding additional amounts of a liquid non-polarsolvent (206) to the diatomaceous earth (204) through which the solutionthat was filtered.

The rinsed solution is collected (107) and the rinse can be step (106)can be repeated as many times as necessary. Optimally, the rinse step(106) will be repeated until the solution exiting the filter is clear(108).

The diatomaceous earth or other filtration medium can be replaced (110)and the entire filtration process repeated (103-110) as many times asnecessary.

Parameters that affect the efficiently of the filtration process includethe suction power of the vacuum pump (207), the amount of thediatomaceous earth (204) placed in the filter (205), and the initialdilution of the crude solution. The crude solution is considered to bethe solution that is to be filtered (202) prior to it being filtered.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for every 1 unit ofcrude solution (202) approximately 1.6 to 3.8 units of diatomaceousearth (204) is used while 3.3 to 8 units of a liquid non-polar solventsuch as butane, hexane, pentane, heptane, ethanol, MET oil, cold pressedhemp oil, olive oil, benzene, toluene, diethyl ether, chloroform, 1,4dioxane and other hydrocarbon oils (206) is required. The primaryfactors that change the amount of diatomaceous earth (204) and a liquidnon-polar solvent (206) required are the strain of the cannabis beingfiltered and the age of the crude solution (202). The number of rinsesteps (108) required varies depending on the amount of desirablecompound (201) yield per run.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, approximately 1.6 to3.8 times more diatomaceous earth (204) than crude solution is used inevery filter (205). A crude solution containing a ratio of a liquidnon-polar solvent (206) to desirable compounds (201) is 0.001 g/mL to0.009 g/mL. At this ratio, the diatomaceous earth (204) can effectivelypull out high concentrations of undesirable compounds (200) from thecrude solution (202) due to lower PPM measurements of the undesirablecompound (200). The crude solution contains cannabinoids that contain,but are not limited to: THCA, delta 9 THC, CBN, CBD, CBG, THCV CBC,CBDA, CBDV, as well as any other unnamed, but present, cannabinoid foundin hemp or cannabis as long as it is suspended in anything liquid andnon-polar.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the symmetrical measuring tool, suitable methodsand materials are described above. All publications, patentapplications, patents, and other references mentioned herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed byapplicable law and regulations. The symmetrical measuring tool may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit oressential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that thepresent embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are forconvenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.

I claim:
 1. A system for filtering organic compounds comprising: afilter configured to hold diatomaceous earth, the filter having a filtercomponent that catches and prevents diatomaceous earth from exiting thefilter; a receptacle to catch a crude solution that includes less than0.1 g of hemp and/or cannabis oil per mL; a vacuum pump attached to thefilter and to the receptacle, the vacuum pump operating to draw thefiltered solution through the filter during operation of the system; anda liquid non-polar solvent solution that is operable to rinse thediatomaceous earth after the crude solution is passed through the filtera plurality of passes, wherein a first pass has less diatomaceous earththan a second pass of said crude solution.
 2. The system of claim 1further comprising a second receptacle to catch the liquid non-polarsolvent solution that is operable to rinse the diatomaceous earth. 3.The system of claim 1 wherein the filter is a glass Buchner funnel. 4.The system of claim of 1 further comprising a plurality of filters thatare attached to the vacuum pump.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein thereceptacle for catching the crude solution is a glass flask.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the vacuum pump is attached to the filter andto the receptacle by way of vacuum tubes.